DETROIT -- There is indeed a method to the Detroit Red Wings' line of thinking as free agency approaches.

Detroit seems to be in a holding pattern for now with the NHL Entry Draft taking place Sunday and free agency set to begin on July 5.

"I think there are always trade talks but more often than not they don't lead to anything," Wings general manager Ken Holland said earlier in the week. "There's always a feeling out processes. This is the weekend that teams are motivated and we are motivated to make a move or two between now and unrestricted free agency that we think will make our team a little bit better.

"I think a lot of what's going on with our team right now are kids," Holland added. "You watched it during the season, you watched it in Grand Rapids, you watched it in the early 90s, you watched it in the early 2000s, if you're going anywhere and building anything that's going to have some sustainability to it it's got to come through the draft."

Advertisement

The Wings are set between the pipes with Jimmy Howard as the starter and Jonas Gustavsson serving as his backup.

On defense, six are signed for next season and two, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl who are both restricted free agents, will get deals done bringing the total to eight on the blue line heading to training camp.

Detroit would look at a possible upgrade on defense or it may trim one of its eight on the roster, but there is little depth on the blue line in Grand Rapids so that seems unlikely.

Forward is where things are bit more murky.

The Wings currently have 12 players under contract and two others that are restricted free agents - Joakim Andersson and Gustav Nyquist - will be signed sometime in the near future to bring the numbers up front to 14.

There are still three unrestricted free agents - Valtteri Filppula, Daniel Cleary and Damien Brunner - that could find their way back on the roster, but those deals may not happen until the hours leading up to the start of free agency.

If the Wings are unable to sign Filppula they may try and trade his rights to a team so they could try exclusively to negotiate a deal with the center before he hits the open market.

"I haven't thought about (leaving Detroit), but obviously it's possible that could happen," Filppula said during the Wings' end-of-season locker cleanout. "It'd be tough. It's been a really great place to be. I've been so happy here. We'll see if we go ... if that's what's going to happen."

The Wings did make offers to Filppula in August and September before talks broke down.

Filppula, who made $3 million last season, is believed to be asking for about a $2 million raise a year.

The Wings do have interest in new unrestricted free agent Vincent Lecavalier, who was bought out by Tampa Bay on Thursday.

There is some concern of the pace of Lecavalier's game at this point of his career.

Detroit is in the midst of building a team that likes to get up-and-down the ice.

There would be interest in the 33-year-old center, who is still good down low around the net. They would jump at a one-year deal for the right price.

"(The Wings are) a team I grew up idolizing," Lecavalier said during a conference call Thursday. "(Detroit) and Montreal were my favorite teams. Steve Yzerman was my favorite player."

Yzerman, who spent his entire career with the Wings, is the Lightning's general manager.

Centers Stephen Weiss, Matt Cullen and Patrik Elias could also garner some interest from Detroit along with wingers Jarome Iginla, David Clarkson and Nathan Horton.

There is also a chance the Wings could decide to use one or two of their allotted contract buyouts, but would need to do so by July 3 since that player or players has to go on waivers.

Teams are permitted two amnesty buyouts that can be used this summer or next summer. They would be able to buy out a player at two-thirds of their remaining value of the contract and not have any of the salary count against the salary cap.

Kindl re-signs with Wings

Each and every season defenseman Jakub Kindl somehow finds a way to work his way out of the lineup.

Those days appear to be over.

The Wings have inked the soon-to-be restricted free agent to a four-year extension worth $9.6 million.

Kindl, 26, had four goals and nine assists in 41 games last season and was a plus-15, second only to Pavel Datsyuk (plus-21) on the team.

Kindl got a considerable raise after making $1.05 million last season. His average salary over the next four seasons is $2.4 million.

This past season, he found himself a healthy scratch behind rookie Brian Lashoff early on.

"He's got to move the puck," Wings coach Mike Babcock said at the time he reinstated Kindl back in the lineup over Lashoff. "He's a skilled guy on the back. He's got to shoot the puck. The big thing is he's got to grab a piece of the action. That's up to him. That's what these opportunities are for. You've got to reach out and grab hold of something and then make it your own. If you don't, you're not in the lineup."

Kindl's game improved from that point.

"Whenever I get the chance I just have to show I can play," Kindl said last season.

Kindl, who has seven goals, 23 assists and a plus-14 in 147 career games, has always had to battle for ice time.

Two years ago it was veteran Mike Commodore he was in competition with for a spot on the Wings' third pairing.

Three years ago, Kindl was unable to beat out Ruslan Salei in training camp and therefore found himself as the Wings' seventh defenseman.

"It's never been about skill level with him, it's been about competition level," Babcock said two years ago. "He needs to have the confidence to compete at the highest level. When he does he can move the puck and he knows how to play. We expect big things out of him."

Kindl was projected to be a highly skilled, puck-moving top-four defenseman when the Wings selected him 19th overall in 2005.

In his first season in Grand Rapids he was prone to turnovers and made bad decisions with the puck. He finished that year a minus-34 rating and had just 17 points. The next year he finished with 33 points and improved to a minus-14. In his final year with the Griffins, he had another 33-point season and saw his plus/minus go to a minus-4 rating.